How Much Can You Make on DoorDash in a Day?

It’s possible to make anywhere from $50 to $300 per day on DoorDash, depending on where you drive, how long you spend on it, and how lucky you are.

$50 is what you can reasonably expect to earn as a part-time Dasher working 2–3 hours per day. If you’re fairly dedicated and you drive during both the lunch and dinner rush, you might be able to make double that ($100 in a day).

$300 represents a good haul for someone who’s a full-time driver (meaning they drive 8+ hours per day) and who’s been driving for a while (meaning they know all of the tricks of the trade).

How much can you make on DoorDash in one hour?

DoorDash drivers generally earn around $15–$20 per hour, with the most lucrative periods being:

• Lunch (10:30 am–2:30 pm)
• Dinner (4:30 pm–9:00 pm)

Those rates are rough averages, and aren’t guaranteed; all Dashers have slow days now and then when they earn less per hour.

Can you really earn hundreds of dollars per day from DoorDash?

Dashers who report much higher daily profits (e.g., $300) aren’t necessarily lying, but as mentioned, they’re generally people who work for the app on a full-time basis. It’s unlikely you’ll earn that much driving for DoorDash if you do it as a part-time side hustle.

It’s also likely that even for most full-time Dashers, those earnings are unusual, and that their typical profits are in the range of $100–$200 per day.

Note that all of the figures we’ve listed so far have indicated how much you can make before factoring in your expenses. After budgeting for gas, vehicle maintenance, insurance, and taxes, you’ll be left with substantially less than you initially earned, something we’ll break down in detail below.

How does DoorDash calculate your pay?

DoorDash doesn’t usually pay on an hourly basis (you can opt for hourly pay in some markets, but that feature isn’t available everywhere). Most of the time, DoorDash pays by the order.

Three factors determine how much you’ll make for each delivery:

• Base pay: Your base pay on each order will generally be between $2–$7, with $2.50 being a particularly often-cited figure. DoorDash’s algorithm determines this based on your location, how far you have to drive, and the current market demand.
• Tips: Optionally, customers can decide to tip you when they place their order or after you deliver it. If they tip you in advance, DoorDash will hide the tip when it’s over a certain amount; how much is hidden depends on where you’re operating.
• Promotions: You’ll see promotions, such as “Peak Pay” (which boosts DoorDash’s rates when they need more drivers on the road), displayed alongside the base pay on each order.

The number of factors that affect your earnings on DoorDash make it hard to predict how much you’ll earn on any given day. Again, all Dashers have slow days, and sometimes there just won’t be many (or any) high-paying orders, meaning you’ll make very little at all.

Fortunately, the reverse is also true; some days, you’ll get lucky with a few high-paying orders in a row, and will be pleasantly surprised by how much you’re able to make.

If you need money today, you might be able to sign up for DoorDash, start delivering immediately, and get paid before the end of the day. However, that isn’t guaranteed; there’s a good chance you’ll have to wait at least 2–3 days for your earnings to come through, and potentially a week or even longer.

How long does it take to sign up for DoorDash?

It generally takes just a few minutes to go through DoorDash’s signup process. However, all drivers have to pass a background check, which is performed by a third-party provider, Checkr.

This process may take anywhere from just a few minutes to one week, and in rare cases, it can take even longer. There’s no way to predict this, so unfortunately, you can’t rely on being able to start Dashing the day you sign up.

If you want to see the status of your background check, you can reach out to Checkr using the phone number, email address, Social Security number, and date of birth you submitted to DoorDash during the signup process.

How quickly can you cash out your DoorDash earnings?

Once you’ve gone through DoorDash’s signup process, you have a couple of options to cash out your earnings, including some that pay you the same day (and sometimes even instantly).

Unfortunately, not all of DoorDash’s same-day payment methods are available right off the bat.

Here’s a table that explains how you can cash out your earnings on DoorDash:

DoorDash’s Payment Methods

As you can see, DoorDash offers three same-day payment methods:

• Fast Pay: For a small fee, you can cash out immediately. However, if it’s your first day, then this option won’t be available, since you need to have been active for at least 14 days (and must have completed a minimum of 25 deliveries).
• Cash on Delivery: This option is available to new Dashers; the downside is that it isn’t available on every order. If a customer indicates that they want to pay cash on delivery, you’ll see a label to that effect displayed next to their order before accepting it. Note that DoorDash recommends carrying at least $10–$15 in small bills in case a customer needs change. 1
• DasherDirect: If you get DoorDash’s debit card, they’ll pay into it immediately after each delivery. You might be able to get this immediately when you sign up; DoorDash’s FAQ states that most applicants get accepted straight away, but it can take up to three business days. Moreover, the physical card can take up to 10 days to arrive, although you can immediately use your virtual card in the DasherDirect app to make purchases and bank transfers. 2

Because Fast Pay isn’t accessible right away and customers who want to pay cash on delivery are relatively rare, if you want to get paid the day you sign up for DoorDash, your best bet is to apply for the DasherDirect card and hope that you’re accepted quickly.

That still isn’t a sure thing, but it gives you the greatest chance of getting the money you need as quickly as possible.

When it comes to calculating your profits as a DoorDash driver, how much the app pays you is just one piece of the puzzle. It’s also important to consider your expenses.

These will be substantial. You’ll have to shoulder the following costs:

• Gas: DoorDash won’t give you money for gas—you’re responsible for filling up your own vehicle. If it isn’t very fuel-efficient, this will really eat into your earnings. On average, Dashers tend to spend at least 10% of their profits on gas.
• Vehicle maintenance: As a Dasher, you’ll spend a lot of time behind the wheel, and your vehicle will accumulate more wear and tear than you’re probably used to. You’ll need to set aside a further 10% of your earnings to pay for regular checkups (and emergency visits to the auto shop when something breaks).
• Taxes: Gig workers are considered independent contractors, not employees, which means they’re responsible for their own taxes. DoorDash won’t withhold them for you. Your tax burden depends on several factors, including how much you work and earn, but you’ll almost certainly need to pay at least 15% of what you earn to keep the IRS off your back.

All in all, your overhead expenses will reduce your profits by at least 35%, leaving you with just 65% of what DoorDash originally paid you.

This means that if you’re able to earn $100 on DoorDash in a day (which, again, is an optimistic but attainable figure), you’ll be left with just $65 once you subtract the money you’ll need for your necessary expenses. That isn’t a disaster—it’s still a decent profit for a few hours of driving—but it’s a lot less than you might have been expecting to make.

The good news is that none of these expenses are upfront, which means that if you need a quick source of cash to pay for something urgent, DoorDash is still a viable option. However, it’s important to consider your expense ratio when deciding if driving for DoorDash is worth it as a long-term side hustle.

If you want to figure out how to make more cash per day as a Dasher, here are some tips on how to boost your daily earnings:

Choose worthwhile orders

As with most delivery apps, you’ll get high-paying orders and low-paying ones. If you’re trying to maximize how much you can make each day, don’t waste your time on orders that don’t pay much.

This also means taking into account the distance you’ll have to travel for each delivery, since far-away orders will cost you more in gas and may leave you in out-of-the-way places, limiting how many deliveries you can accept that day.

One high-paying order can be worth as much as two smaller ones, even factoring in distance, but you’ll need to make your own calculations to see just how worthwhile an order is.

Choose a delivery zone you know well

For those just getting started with DoorDash, choosing the right market is crucial. Try to select an area you’re already familiar with.

This means not only knowing the best routes but also the peak hours for orders in the area, when and where the traffic is worst, and the cheapest places to get gas (if you’re using a motorized vehicle rather than a bike).

Provide good customer service

Some customers will tip you before receiving their delivery, while others won’t. Tipping isn’t a given, but delivering orders on time, communicating with customers, and generally being polite can increase your chances of getting tips and boost your daily earnings.

Moreover, if you’re looking to keep delivering with DoorDash in the long term, good customer service will get you higher customer ratings, which is one of the key factors for being accepted onto DoorDash’s rewards program (which confers several perks that also make it easier to earn more).

Use multiple apps

Delivering for other gig apps (like Uber Eats or Instacart) will open you up to more potential customers, especially when there aren’t a lot of available orders on DoorDash.

You don’t even have to exclusively use delivery apps; there are plenty of other side hustles that pay you the day you sign up. You’ll just have to make sure that you can balance them with delivering for DoorDash (and with your other commitments, such as your primary job).